I don’t usually post shirtless selfies here, but I wanted to share a story and hopefully give a push to folks who might benefit.
A few months ago I noticed a small patch of red bumpy skin on the back of my left arm. My yearly physical was coming up so I asked my doctor about it. He said it was likely nothing, but a punch biopsy would confirm what it was and how to treat it. A week later he called to tell me it was melanoma and that he’d made a referral to the dermatologist to have it removed.
I was anxious, but I took comfort in the simplicity of the next steps. Then the dermatologist called to tell me that the depth of the melanoma meant I would need a general surgeon to perform a wide excision and remove lymph nodes for biopsy. That comfort quickly evaporated.
The lymph node mapping and subsequent surgery went smoothly, but waiting for the biopsy results was excruciating. Cancer in the nodes could mean beginning chemotherapy and additional testing to find more cancer. I would have fantasies about getting the “all clear” phone call, immediately followed by dark thoughts of beginning chemo and getting sicker and sicker. I had been having trouble eating while dealing with this, and I lost enough weight that my wedding ring slipped off my finger somewhere. I had intrusive thoughts of my wife or kids finding the ring after I had passed.
This week I got the results from the surgeon. The margins of the excision were good and no sign of cancer in the lymph nodes. I don’t have words to describe my relief.
If I shared with you what I was going through, thank you for your support. if I wasn’t ready to tell you, just texting, talking, or hanging out with you supported me in other ways. I feel a sense of openness now that I didn’t before and a desire to connect more with friends and family (if we haven’t talked in a bit, I’d love to hear from you). This experience also re-ignited the fire to spend more time on creative endeavors. I have a couple of projects in the works that I otherwise would not.
If you haven’t seen a dermatologist in a minute, schedule that appointment! If they’re on the fence, opt for the biopsy! Stay vigilant! Stay alive!
A bit behind on my posts, but I wanted to call out the awesome work from our Running Yoodle this past weekend. We love the wide-angle character poses from @jackfletcherjack and knew we had to call on @tuckertakespictures to bring this effect to life in the animation!
Special thanks to @badluckrunners for being my secret source of research on this one!
To see our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#youtubedesign #yoodle #running #runningcommunity #olympics #olympicrunner
It's the textures that do it for me. Lovely Perfume Reviewers Yoodle illustrated by @yeojin_shin and @nivbavarsky with animation by talented Yoodle program regular @oli.bla
To see our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#youtubedesign #yoodle #perfume #perfumelovers
I love when we hire an artist who's this steeped in the community we're celebrating. Check out stop motion wizard, @dina.a.amin to see some behind the scenes of the Inventors Yoodle, as well as some of her other stop motion magic.
To see our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#youtubedesign #yoodle #inventors
It was an animator’s dream come true to work with @nicolasmenard and @jackcunningham on today’s Miniatures Yoodle! Check it out now on the YouTube homepage.
To see our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#youtubedesign #yoodle #miniatures
I wish I could say I helped with this one, but only the combined powers of illustrator @yeojin_shin and animator @_littlefang could pull off today's Cozy Gaming Yoodle!
To see our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#youtubedesign #yoodle #cozygaming
Leave it to @nivbavarsky and @stumpf_dav to make household chores fun! Check out the pressure washing yoodle live now on the YouTube homepage!
To see our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#youtubedesign #yoodle #pressurewashing
Just a few hours left to check out today’s Yoodle celebrating the pottery community with stunning work from @jamesnoellert who recorded reference video at a ceramics studio to ensure every detail was perfect. Thanks for going the extra mile on this one!
To see our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#youtubedesign #yoodle #pottery #ceramics
Meticulously painted landscapes like these make animation a breeze. It’s been a complete joy working with @chelseabeck.psd for the past few years. Thanks for making my job easy.
For other impressively diverse illustration work from Chelsea, head over to her site (link in her bio). Her dog illos are not to be missed!
To see all of our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#hiking #youtubedesign #yoodle
Check out today's simulation gaming Yoodle with artwork and animation by talented 3D artist and animator @franzimpler who took on the task of designing for a vast genre of games that spans everything you could possibly simulate.
For more from Franz, head over to his site (link in his bio) and check out his short film Out of Bounds!
To see all our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#simulationgames #youtubedesign #yoodle
Through strict avoidance of sleep, radical neglect of his loved ones, and an impressive shirking of all other work responsibilities @dots__and__loops finally found the time to illustrate our Tabletop Gaming Yoodle! He's still got it!
My favorite teacher and cel animation wizard @eliasvelho brought the characters to life for the logo animation. I highly recommend his class on @motiondesignschool if you want to learn the art of frame by frame animation!
To see all our past Yoodles and brand design work, check out @designatyoutube
#boardgames #ttrpgcommunity #ttrpg #youtubedesign #yoodle #animation
